Aerial bomb



Aug. 19 1924.

J. B. HADAWAIl AERIAL BOMB 2 shears-'sheen 1 Filed 'May 28.. 1921 fili 'y/ ett) Patented Ang. i9, i924,

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JOHN B. HADAWAY, Ol SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS.

AERIAL BOMB.

Application filed May 28,

To @ZZ who/m if may concern.'

Be it known that l, JOHN B. HADAWAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at iwampscott. in the county of Essex and State of Massachusettghave invented certain improvements in ierial Bombs, of which the following` description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specilication, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several i'igurs.

This invention relates to explosive devices and is herein illustrated as embodied in an aerial bombing apparatus.

The general object of the present invention is to provide means for producing an explosion beneath or beyond an armored wall and for convenience the invention will be described in connection with its use in the destruction of ships. To accomplish such destruction it is desirable that the bomb or other missile used pass through an armored wall, the deck for example. and be exploded inside the ship.

To this end the present invention contempiates the use of a main or follower bomb and a pilot bomb, the pilot bomb being adapted to tear a hole in the d'ick of the ship or to weaken the deck for the passage of the follower bomb. and the latter bomb being adapted to pass through the hole or weakened spot and to be exploded inside the ship. Preferably the pilot bomb is of the impact type and the follower bomb is provided with means for exploding it which are set into operation by the impact of the pilot bomb. In the illustrative construction the pilot bomb is connected with the follower bomb by a filament the length of which may be predetermined before the bombs are launched. .els long as the bombs are falling freely, the` filament remains taut, but when impact of the pilot bomb with the deck of a ship occurs, the resulting slackening of the filament sets in operation the means for exploding the follower bomb. rlie explosion of the follower bomb thus takes place at an interval after the impact of the pilot bomb the length of the interval depending (l) upon the effective length of the filament, that is upon the distance by which the bombs are separated during their flight, and (2) upon the time interval of the detonator of the follower bomb. And during this inter- 1921. Serial No. 473,523.

val the follower bomb has time to pass trough the deck into the interior of. the s 1p.

These and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be described as embodied in a particular device and pointed out in the appended claims.'

Referring to the accompanying draw- 11122.57

Fig. l is a side elevation partly broken away of the main or follower bomb;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation partly broken away of the pilot bomb;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly broken away of the pilot bomb, and

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of Fig l on the line 4 4 with the bomb omitted.

Many of the constructional features of the illustrative device are or may be like those shown in the co-pending application of my self and Charles E. Campbell, Serial No. 266,763 now Patent No. 1,383,106, granted dime 28, 192].. Referring first to Fig. l, the main or follower bomb 5, which may be filled with high explosive such as T. N. T., has extending into the explosive charge a detonator T of any approved construction; and, in order to ignite the first powder charge of the detonator, there extends into it a small wire 9 of platinum or other suitable material which is heated at the proper time by causing a current of electricity to pass through it. The source` of electric energy is a small generator ll the armature of which is rotated during the falling of the bomb by a propeller 13, both the propeller and the `generator being mounted in a cap having the shape of an inverted funnel which is fastened to the bomb in a manner presently to be described. The bomb is shown with its parts in the positions which they occupy during its fall, a downward pull being exerted at this time upon the cord or filament 17 which holds apart two contact members 19, 2l so that no current can flow through the wire 9 to heat it. Vhen, however, the downward pull upon the cord ,t7 ceases so that the. cord is slackened, the member 2l rises into contact with the member 19, and current flows through the wire 9 to set the detonator into operation. Fastened to the cap are two upright roda 23 which pass through bores formed in a cross-bar 25, the cross-bar being suspended upon the rods through coiled springs 27 which normally hold the cross-bar in its uppermost position so that the members 19, 21 are in Contact. These members are held separated, as shown, during the flight of the bomb by the pull on the cord 17 acting through rods 29, the upper ends of which are fastened to the cross-bar 25. Vertical vanes 3l riveted to the cap tend to prevent rotation of the bomb about its vertical axis during flight.

The construction which has been thus briefly outlined is or may be substantially the same as that shown in the co-pending application referred to above. lt will be understood that when a pilot bomb is attached to the cord 17 and the pilot bomb and follower bomb launched, the flow of air through the funnel-shaped cap will cause rotation of the armature of the generator so that, when the cord is slackened by impact of the pilot bomb with the target or whatever body it encounters, current will flow through the small wire 9 to heat it and thereby to bring about the explosion of the follower bomb. It will also be understood that by varying either the effective length of the cord or the time interval of the detonator of the follower bomb or both, as may be desired, the e5:- plosion of the follower bomb may be caused to take place at any predetermined distance above the target, at the target, or, in case the target is something through which the -gbomb can pass, then at any predetermined distance below the target.

The main or follower bomb of the presen application differs from the bomb of the copending application in certain details which will now be described. The bomb is made in two parts the exterior dividing line between the two being indicated at 33, the lower part having a neck which is fastened into the upper part as indicated at 35. The lower part which contains the explosive charge is made of heavy metal such as steel and the upper part of light metal such as aluminum, the purpose of this construction being to facilitate the maintaining` of the bomb upright, particularly during the latter portion of its flight after the filament has been slackened.

As has been explained, the present bomb, like that of the prior application. has attached to its upper portion a cap 15. ln order to ensure that a current of air shall pass through this cap during the flight of the bomb, thereby turning the propeller and retarding the fall of the bomb so as to maintain the filament 17 taut, the present bomb is provided with battle plates or deflectors two being shown. The inside surfaces of the deflectors are surfaces of inverted cones and tend to direct the air current inwardly toward the bomb so that it will encounter the under side of the cap 15. As the bomb falls at high velocity7 its nose tends to throw aside the air and thereby to create a condition wherein the air encountering the cap would be considerably rarilied. The deflectors 37 are designed to provide for this tendency toward the formation of a vacuum around the bomb and thereby to ensure that the cap encounters suflicient resistance. They are held spaced from the bombs by being fastened to flat bars or rods 88 the upper ends of which are riveted to the cap 15.

The bomb proper is connected with the vanes 31, which are fast to the cap, by small screws 39; and in the present construction these screws are made of such strength that they will shear off if the deflectors 37 or other part of the framework strikes an obstruction which is not encountered by bomb proper. For example, this follower bomb, as has been explained, is designed to be preceded by a pilot bomb, the function of the pilot bomb being to tear a hole or to weaken an area in the deck of a vessel for the passage of the follower bomb. In such case, if i the framework encounters the edge of the hole, it will be stripped from the bomb proper. In order to permit the bomb to slip easily from the framework, the lower end of the bomb is pointed as shown; and the cord 17 is attached to a bail 41 which is pivoted at 43 to the lower ends of the rods 29. And preferably the bail will be made in two identically shaped parts both pivoted at a?) which will be readily separated by the bomb so as to permit the bomb to pass between them. The lower pointed end of the bomb may be formed on the head of the cap screw let which closes the filling hole; or, if desired, an impact detonator may take the place of the cap screw.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the pilot bomb comprises an upper portion in the form of a casing l5 which contains the mech anism for controlling` the effective length of the filament 17 and a lower portion 4'? the two portions being threaded together as shown. The filament 17 is wound upon a reel i9 which is fast to a small shaft 51 the ends of which are rotatably mounted in the wall of the casing. Fast to this shaft is a small gear 53 which meshes with a large gear the lastnamed gear being fast to a shaft which, like the shaft 51, is rotatably mounted in the wall of the casing The shaft 5T is threaded and carries a traveler in the form of a nut 59 having a downwardly eX- tending linger 61, the nut having a flat face on its under side and being prevented from turning by contact of this face with the flat top of a partition or abutment 6?. VV'hen the pilot bomb is released from its support on the aeroplane and allowed to fall, the reel i9 will be rotated and the filament 17 lill paid out. The rotation of the reel, through the gears 53, 55, rotates shaft 57 and consequently causes the traveler 59 to move along the shaft to the left as viewed in Fig. 2.

In order to arrest the movement of the traveler 59 at the desired point and thereby to control the amount of filament which shall be paid out, an adjustable stop is provided in the form of a linger projecting upwardly from a nut 67 into the path of movement of the linger 61. The nut 67 is held from rotation by contact of its fiat under side with a fiat guide in a manner similar to that in which the nut 59 is held; and is threaded on an. adjusting screw 69 said screw being rotatable in but held from longitudinal movement with respect to the casing 45. This screw has a head 72 located in an external recess in the wall of the casing 45 which may be rea'dily grasped when it is desired to rotate the screw and thereby7 set the stop 65. In order to permit accurate setting of the stop, an indicator 73, in the form of a horizontal arm integral with the nut 67 extends through a slot in the casing; and below the slot is a scale 75 calibrated in a suitable manner, the indicator 73 hav- 'ing a mark 77 which co-operates with the scale. In the lower portion of the pilot bomb is located a detonator of the instantaneous impact type designated as a whole by 79; and near the extreme lower end of the bomb is a hole or perforation 93 to receive a hook by which the bomb is normally suspended in the aeroplane in readiness to be launched. The pilot bomb, it will be understood, is normally suspended in the. aeroplane in a location accessible to the operator who sets the stop 7 3 before releasing it.

The main or follower bomb is preferably suspended right side up from the under side of the aeroplane by the engagement of some readily7 released catch with an eye 95. Any suitable means for suspending the pilot bomb and the follower bomb may be employed, for example the means disclosed in the prior application of myself and Charles E. Campbell referred to above. It is contemplated that the follower bombs shall be suspended beneath the aeroplane in suitable cylindrical sockets formed in a member the forward end of which shall have the general shape of the prow of a boat. In order then to prevent the follower bomb from swinging in its socket the lower deflector 37 may have fast to or formed integral with it, as shown in Fig. il, a series of arms 99 carrying at their outer ends a ring 101 the outside diam-- eter of which is equal to the largest outside diameter of the upper portion of the structure, these diameters being just slightly less than the diameter of the socket in which the bomb is suspended.

Assuming now that the follower bomb structure is suspended beneath the aeroplane by a readily releasable catch and that the pilot bomb is suspended in a position accessible to the operator, the manipulation of the apparatus is as follows: The stop 73 is first set to predetermine the amount of filament which will presently be paid out, and then the pilot bomb is launched. Preferably it is not permitted to fall freely but is controlled in its fall, for example in the manner in which the fall of the weight is controlled in the prior patent until the unwinding of the lament has been stopped by contact of the finger 61 with the stop 65. All this procedure is preparatory to the releasing of the follower bomb and is carried out before the aeroplane reaches the desired locality at which time the follower bomb is to be released.

As the bombs fall, the cap on the follower bomb retards its descent and thereby maintains the filament. taut with the bombs spaced apart a distance determined by the effective length of the cord 17 which has been unwound from the reel 49. The pull of the cord separates and holds separated the contacts 19, 21 so that, although the armature of the generator 11 is being rotated by the propeller 13, no current flows through the wire 9. As soon, however, as

the fall of the pilot bomb is arrested or retarded, the slackening of the filament permits the springs 27 to bring the contacts 19, 21 together which results in the heating of the wire 9 and consequently in the explosion of the follower bomb.

Assuming now that the pilot bomb strikes the deck of a ship, it will explode at once and either tear a hole in the deck or weaken the deck suiiiciently to permit the follower bomb to pass through and explode inside the ship. The exact locality at which the follower bomb will explode depends upon the velocity of the bomb at the end of its flight, upon the time interval of its detonator, and upon the effective length of the lament 17. lustrative follower bomb is approximately one second; and the terminal velocity of the bomb is about 300 feet per second. If, for example, it was desired to explode the follower bomb just at the deck of the ship, the mark on the indicator 73 would have been set as shown to register with the numeral 300 of the scale. If it was desired to explode the follower bomb beneath the deck, the mark would have been set at some numeral on the scale less than 300. It should also be noted that if it should be desired to explode the follower bomb above the deck or other target, this result could be attained by setting the mark at some numeral on the scale greater than 300.

Although the invention has been set forth as embodied in an apparatus comprising a pilot bomb of the impact type and a fol- The time interval of the ilis caused to explode by retardation of the movement of the pilot bomb, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular apparatus which has been shown and described.

Having thus described my invention what f claim as new and desire to secure by Letn ers Patent of the United States is:

l. jin aerial device adapted to be launched from an aeroplane for causing an explosion beneath an armored wall comprising a follower bombn a pilot bomb adajted to explode upon iniipact with the wall and thereby to nre-*are the wall for the passage through it follower bomb. flexible connection i the bombs adjustable in length., and iznaas operated through the connection for e.\;plodingl the follower bomb after it has passed -througrh the wall.

2. An aerial device adapted to be launched from an aeroplane forI Causing an explosion beneath an armored wall coniin'isine:l a follower bombi a pilot bomb adapted to e plode upon impact with the wall and thereby to prepare the wall for the passage through it of the follower bombg a flexible connection between the bombs adjustable in lenggjtln and means operated through the connection for exploding;- the follower bomb a predetermined interval after the impact of the pilot bomb.

An aerial explosive device comprising' a pilot bomb adapted to explode by impact, a follower bomb having' a time detoni-itorD a reel carried by one of the bombs, a filament wound upon the reel and having its free end fastened to the other bomb, and a controlling` member adapted to be set before the bombs are launched for arresting; the unwinding' of the reel and thereby fpredetermining the length of the filament which will be paid out.

Ll. An aerial bomb, a cap having the gene eral shape of an inverted funnel attached thereto, and a deflector for directing a current of air into the cap during` the flight of the bomb.

5. ein aerial bomb, a cap for retardingl the fall of the bomb and means for fastening the cap to the bomb., said fastening means comprising` members of such strength that they will shear and thereby free the bomb from the cap when the cap encounters an obstruction.

6. An aerial device for causing an explosion beneath an armored Wall such as the lower bomb which deck of a battleship comprisingv a main bomb provided 'with a detonator, a pilot bomb adapted to be exploded by contact with the deck to tear a hole in it, a filament connecting the bombs and means responsive to slaclieningl of the filament by reason of the impact of the pilot bomb for operating,` the detonator, the time interval of the detonator being sufficient to permit the main bomb to fall a distance greater than the length of the filament before said main bomb is exploded.

7. An ordnance device adapted to be launched from an aeroplane comprising a pilot bomb adapted to explode upon impact with the target and to tear a hole therein, a main bomb, a filament connecting` the bombs7 a readily accessible member adjustment of which. predetermines the effective length of the filament and thereby the distance beyond the target at which the main bomb Will explode said device being` adapted to be supported on the aeroplane in such manner that the adjustable member is at all times prior to launching under instant oontrol of the operator.

8. An aerial explosive device adapted to be launched by the operator of an aeroplane comprising a pilot bomb adapted to be exploded by impact a follower bomb adapted to be exploded by retardation of the movement of the pilot bomb, a filament connecting;- the bombs. adjustable means for varying the effective length of the filament and means under instant control of the operator at any time prior to the launchingof the device for adjusting` said adjustable means to cause the `iilot bomb to explode by impact with the target a predetermined distance in advance of the follower bomb, and the follower bomb to explode a predetermined distance beyond the target.

9. An aerial device adapted to be launched from an aeroplane for causing an explosion beneath an armored wall. comprising` a follower bombA` a pilot bomb connected therewithso as to travel a predetermined distance in advance th reof and adapted to explode upon impact with the wall. and thereby to prepare the wall for the passage through it of the follower bomb, and means for chang' ingr the length of the connection,

In testimony whereof I have signed mi" name to this specification.

JOHN B. 'HADAVAY 

